8 Dermatology Headlines You Missed in October 2026

In the latest installment of the Month in Review series, the HCPLive editorial team highlights notable dermatology stories covered in October 2026. The series is designed to round up significant news from the previous month in a summary of top headlines in the skin health space.

Two major meetings shaped much of HCPLive’s October coverage: the 2026 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Vienna, Austria, and the 2026 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The month’s coverage included long-term extension data, phase 3 readouts, and expert interviews on hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, cutaneous lupus, and alopecia areata.

The following list summarizes some of the most notable headlines from October 2026:

Hidradenitis Suppurativa News:

Lutikizumab Improves HS Pain, Flares in Phase 3 INTREPID Study

AbbVie reported topline results from the phase 3 INTREPID trial, which randomly assigned about 1,400 adults and adolescents with moderate to severe HS to subcutaneous lutikizumab or placebo. At week 16, 31.4% of lutikizumab recipients achieved HiSCR75, compared with 23.4% of those receiving placebo. Fewer patients on lutikizumab had flares (18.4% vs 28.1%).

Pain responses separated early: 36.0% of lutikizumab recipients reached NRS30 at week 8, compared with 22.8% receiving placebo. Rates of adverse events and serious adverse events were similar between groups.

Psoriasis News:

ICONIC-LEAD: Icotrokinra Sustains Psoriasis Skin Clearance at 2 Years

New ICONIC-LEAD data presented at Fall Clinical showed that the oral IL-23 receptor antagonist icotrokinra maintained high levels of skin clearance through 2 years in patients aged 12 years and older with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Between weeks 64 and 112, at least 72% of patients achieved PASI 90, and at least 44% achieved PASI 100.

Among PASI 90 responders who stopped treatment at week 24, 85% regained PASI 90 within 24 weeks of restarting it. Mark Lebwohl, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discussed the findings with HCPLive.

Ixekizumab, Tirzepatide Broaden Biomarker Effects in Psoriasis, Obesity

An exploratory analysis of the phase 3b TOGETHER-PsO study, also presented at Fall Clinical, looked at molecular changes in 274 adult patients living with psoriasis and either obesity or overweight. At week 36, ixekizumab plus tirzepatide altered the expression of 482 proteins and 467 genes, compared with 140 proteins and 16 genes with ixekizumab alone.

Investigators found that changes in a subset of neutrophil-associated markers explained part of the added PASI response with the combination. James G. Krueger, MD, PhD, of The Rockefeller University, commented on the results.

Atopic Dermatitis News:

Nemolizumab Sustains AD Response at 3 Years, With Matthias Augustin, MD

At EADV, Matthias Augustin, MD, of University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, reviewed 3-year results from the open-label ARCADIA long-term extension of nemolizumab. Through week 152, up to 91% of patients reached EASI-75, up to 75% reached EASI-90 and up to 73% were itch-free or nearly itch-free.

“The findings that we present at EADV have a profound impact for practice,” Augustin said.

3-Year Nemolizumab Data in Atopic Dermatitis, With Sarina Elmariah, MD, PhD

A related post hoc analysis presented at Fall Clinical focused on 295 patients who responded to nemolizumab by week 16 and stayed on treatment. By week 152, about 80% reached EASI-90, half had fully clear skin and about 80% were itch-free or nearly itch-free.

Sarina Berger Elmariah, MD, PhD, MPH, of UCSF, explained that IL-31 blockade often relieves itch first, while skin clearance keeps improving over time.

5-Year ADlong Data on Lebrikizumab for Eczema, With Stephan Weidinger, MD, PhD

Late-breaking ADlong results presented at EADV followed 174 patients with up to 5 years of cumulative lebrikizumab exposure. At week 108 of the extension, 92.9% had achieved EASI-75, 73.8% had reached EASI-90 and 66.7% had clear or almost clear skin. No new safety signals emerged.

“For me, the main message is the consistency of the data over time,” said Stephan Weidinger, MD, PhD, of University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein.

Other News:

AMETHYST: Litifilimab Sustains CLE Gains at 52 Weeks, With Victoria Werth, MD

Victoria Werth, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, discussed 52-week data from Part A of the phase 2/3 AMETHYST study of litifilimab in 93 adults with active cutaneous lupus erythematosus. Among patients who started litifilimab at baseline, the CLASI-50 response rate rose from 40.8% at week 24 to 46.0% at week 52. No serious viral infections were reported.

Rezpegaldesleukin Hair Regrowth Climbs Through 1 Year in AA: David Rosmarin, MD

In the phase 2b REZOLVE-AA trial presented at EADV, hair regrowth with rezpegaldesleukin kept improving after the 36-week treatment period in patients with severe to very severe alopecia areata. In the 24 µg/kg group, the share of patients with a SALT score of 20 or lower rose from 15.6% at week 36 to 27.6% at week 52, compared with 6.7% with placebo.

David Rosmarin, MD, of Indiana University School of Medicine, noted that a phase 3 program is expected to begin at the end of 2026.